smithological_stories's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
jbaker314's review against another edition
5.0
Charles Williams observed, “Much was possible to a man in solitude. … But some things were possible only to a man in companionship, and of these the most important was balance. No mind was so good that it did not need another mind to counter and equal it, and to save it from conceit and blindness and bigotry and folly.”
krismoon's review against another edition
5.0
No one else that I know of, save Christopher Tolkien, knows The Inklings like my former professor Diana Glyer. She's devoted much of her life to passionately researching them. Bandersnatch focuses on the communal nature and practices of The Inklings, namely Tolkien and Lewis.
A few surprising facts that stood out to me:
1. There were 19 Inklings in total, and they met for 17 years!
2. The Inklings greatly encouraged one another, even going so far as writing publishers to encourage them to publish one another's books.
3. While they encouraged one another, the group members fought and criticized just as easily.
4. Tolkien didn't like The Chronicles of Narnia. Like, at all.
5. But not all of the Inklings liked Lord of the Rings, for that matter, namely Hugo Dyson.
In the last section of the book, Glyer outlines how we can learn from the Inklings collective, making their successful group dynamic our own while avoiding their nasty pitfalls.
A few surprising facts that stood out to me:
1. There were 19 Inklings in total, and they met for 17 years!
2. The Inklings greatly encouraged one another, even going so far as writing publishers to encourage them to publish one another's books.
3. While they encouraged one another, the group members fought and criticized just as easily.
4. Tolkien didn't like The Chronicles of Narnia. Like, at all.
5. But not all of the Inklings liked Lord of the Rings, for that matter, namely Hugo Dyson.
In the last section of the book, Glyer outlines how we can learn from the Inklings collective, making their successful group dynamic our own while avoiding their nasty pitfalls.
crizzle's review against another edition
3.0
Moving along in my over a year-long quest to get through my to-read shelf: this was added over 5 years ago and I have no memory where I heard of it, but I thought now would be a good time to read it since I recently reread The Hobbit and rewatched all the LotR movies. This will definitely be the nerdiest book I’ll read all year but was interesting (for someone who’s read Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, anyway). I shared some of what I learned with the fam - and I’m still so sad thinking about that one dude, Dyson, shaming Tolkien over his readings of LotR.
The end of each chapter (along with the end of the book) had some advice for writing groups, or any kind of group for that matter.
The end of each chapter (along with the end of the book) had some advice for writing groups, or any kind of group for that matter.
ivantable's review against another edition
5.0
A delightful read. Every writer (or artist) should read this book.
frogman_doug's review against another edition
5.0
No doubt a very important book for anybody interested in The Inklings, or fans of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Glyer does great work in not only offering us a glimpse into the creative process of this group, but also outlines how such a group comes to be successful; and in turn what any one person can do to foster a healthy group (of writers or otherwise). I was impressed by the information offered here. I would be lying if I didn't say that this book has reinvigorated my love for Tolkien's works (and lay the seeds for a love for Lewis'), for literature, and for communities of gathering friends. Highly recommend this one...
mollyringle's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
4.0
As someone interested in writing, revising, editing, and creativity in general, I found this pretty interesting and enlightening. I didn’t know much about most of the works mentioned, but I love Lord of the Rings, so I was most intrigued by the parts regarding the writing of that. As a minor point, though, I do not think Bandersnatch is the best title: it’s a word from Lewis Carroll, who this book has nothing to do with, so that’s inherently confusing. (CS Lewis used it to describe Tolkien once, is the explanation. But it’s still a word coined by and associated with Carroll, so I’d have advised picking a different title.)
memlhd's review against another edition
3.0
Not particularly well-written. Too many may have's or might have's for my taste. Seems like a good undergrad research paper. Not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. Lots of repetition from Carpenter's stuff.
tc4mpbell's review against another edition
3.0
The bits about the group were enjoyable, but the extrapolated how-tos took away from the magic.
turtletrackz's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0